Automatic synchronizer-indicator for clocks.



E. A. HUMMEL.

AUTOMATIC SYNCHRONIZEB. INDICATOR FOR CLOCKS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 10, 1911.

1,096,536, Patented May 12, 191 1 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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E. A. HUMMBL.

AUTOMATIC SYNGHRONIZER INDICATOR FOR CLOCKS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1O 1911.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST A. HUMMEL, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR T0 ALBERT L. HAMAN,OF

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

AUTOMATIC SYNCHRONIZEEINDICATdR FOR CLOCKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1914.

To all whom. it may concern:

lie it known that I, ERNEST HUMMEL, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticSynchronizer-Indicators for Clocks, of which the following is aspecification. My invention relates to improvements in a utoniaticsynchronizer indicators for clocks its object being to provide meansactuate by the synchronizin mechanism for indi- ('nting whether the cock was synchronized at the proper time.

- It is customary to synchronize clocks at certain regular intervals oftime,.usually every twenty four hours, but sometimes every hour; andwithout an indicator there is no way of knowing whether the clock was infactsynchronized at the proper time.

in the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings I have provideda visual indicator which is arranged to be thrown by the synchronizinglever into indicating position, and then to be held in that posit1onuntil thenext regular time for synchronizing, so that it can bedetermined at a glance whether the clock was synchronized, as it shouldhave been, at the last regular period.

To these ends the invention consists in the construction,combination,and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the'accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a front view of the" indicator and synchronizing mechanism of aclock with some parts broken away, showing the indicator inindicating-position; Fig. 2 is a sectional detail of the minute handarbor and parts carried thereby; Fig. 3 is a side view of so much of aclock as is necessary to show the indicator and synchronizing mechanism,partly broken away;'and"Fig; 4 is a front view oi the synchronizingmechanism and indicator, partly broken away, showing the indicator inreleased or non-indicating posi tion.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawin A represents theframework of the clock' and B the dial. Journaled in the u'per part ofthe framework 'is the seconds andarbor 2, upon which is of which are ofa construction well known in the art. Also journaled in the framework isthe minute hand arbor (3, upon which is a sleeve 7. Integral with thissleeve. or fast upon it, is a large disk 8 for a purpose to behereinafter described, and also a smaller disk or annular shoulder 9which has two diametrically opposite peripheral lugslO. At its outer endthe sleeve carries the minute hand 11. The sleeve is held frictionallyto the minute hand arbor by means of a spring 19. carried by the arborbetween a shoulder 13 thereon and the large disk 8, so that the sleeveand the parts carried thereby will turn with the arbor in the normaloperation of the clock, but can be turned independently of the arborwhenv engaged by the synchronizing lever, which will be hereinafterdescribed. The seconds and minute hand arbors are driven by means of theusual clock work mechanism,

pivotally supported upon the framework and having two divergent arms, anarm 14 for engaging the heart-cam 5, and thereby synchronizing theseconds hand, and an arm 15 for s nohronizing the minute hand. The

lever is connected by means of a link 16 with the armature of anelectromagnet D, which is in circuit with, and operated by, a standardormasterclock (not shown). its outer end the arm15 is arched upward so asto form two separated hammer ends 17 in position to engage'the lugs 10on the disk 9 when the synchronizing lever is thrust down. Thus if theclock is not keeping exact time, one of the hammer ends 17, when thelever is thrust down under the actuation of the synchronizing magnet,will strike one of the lugs 10 upon the diskor shoulder 9 a blowsufficiently hard to overcome the hammer ends 17 of the synchronizinglever. In this operation the minute hand, which is carried by the sleeve7, will be turnedto aline with the numeral on the dial which ndicates'the c'orlect'minutetime. -It w1ll be understood that #while the erm 15is synthe seconds hand through the medium of the ing with thesynchronizing mechanism certain means actuated thereby to indicatewhether the clock has been synchronized. In the embodiment of thisdevice which is shown in the drawings an indicator arm E is pivotallysupported in the framework at one side of the disk 8 below thesynchronizing lever C. The arm E has at,the top a laterally projectingarm 18- and a downwardly projecting arm 19. Upon the arm 18 is a stud 20in position to be engaged by a spring 21 upon the synchronizing lever C.This spring is secured at one end to the lever C near its point ofpivotal support, while the other ,end 22 is loo'ped or hooked overthe-arm 15. Thus the spring, which extends down below the arm: 15,forms' a resilientcushion'which, .when the lever C is thrust down,engages-the stud 20 on the lateral armof the indicating arm E. This armterminates at the bottomin a display plate 23, upon whichmay be placedany desired symbol, such as-a,- distinguishing color or the letters O K-shown in the drawings. hen the stud 20 is struck by the synchronizinglever, as above described, .the indicating arm E, which works at theback of the dial, will be moyed across the inner side thereof intoregistration with'a. hole 24 in the dial, through" which the dis layplate 23 will thus become visible from tlie outside,

as shown in Fig. 1. If-desired, the arm E can be provided with anextension plate '25 bcarin any desired symbol such as a distinguis ingcolor or the words Not set shown in the drawings. This plate is so p0sitioned that it will be visible through the hole the dial when theindicating arm E falls back after being engaged .by the synchronizingmechanism.

With the -mechanism just described the arm E will be thrown up by'eachimpact of the synchronizing-lever so as to bring the plate 23 intoregistration with the dial opening 24, but will fall back by gravity mtonormal non-indicating position, as shown in Fig. 4, the moment thesynchroniz ing lever isreleased from the actuating magnet D. Inorderautomatically to hold'it from thus falling back until just before thenext. succeeding synchronizing period, .I have provided the followingmechanism.

Pivotally supported upon the framework at a point between its ends is alever 26 which-stands in alinement with the disk 8. At one endrofthe-lever is a notched latch 27 adapted to receive and interlock with apin 28 upon the arm 19 of the arm E, .while at the other end is a lug.29 in position to be engaged and wiped by a wiper tooth or trip 30 uponthe periphery of the disk 8. 'lmu the pin 28 is released from the latchthe latch end ofthe lever, that being the heavier end, will drop bygravity againstthe stop 36 which will hold the lug 29 just out ofcontact with the periphery of the disk. The latch is eformcd with aterminal cam face 3l in the path of the pin 28, so that the pin willliftthe latch-end of the lever and can he caught inthe notch. When theparts are thus locked, the lug 29 .will clear the periphery of the disk8 but stand in the path of the trip 30. One or both of the engagingfaces oft-he lug 29 and trip 30 are beveled so that the trip 30 willwipe and pass the lug. In doing so it will turn the lever 26 just-enoughto release the pin 28 from the latch, as shown in Fig. 4. I

In order to prevent the synchronizing lever from being actuated at anyother times than the regular synchronizing periods a thing that mighthappen by reason 0.

false contacts in the electric circuit of the magnet D, or otherwise, itis customary to provide means for holding the lever locked except duringthe two or three minutes be fore and after the hour at which the handsare to be set. For this purpose the arched end of the arm 15 is providedwith a nbtched lug 32 which is normally engaged by a pin 33 upon.adepending pivoted arm 34, the end of which overlaps the inner face ofthe.disk 8 and stands in the path of a pin 35 upon the disk. This pin isso positioned on the disk as to engage the arm 34, and thereby move thepin 33 out of engagement with the lug 32 at theibeginning' of thesynchronizing period, which is usually about two minutes before the houris reached, and to pass the arm 34 at the end of the synchronizingperiod, or about two minutes after the hour. When the pin passes the armthe arm will fall backby gravity and the pin 33 will again interlockwith the notched lug 32.

In the structure here-shown the clock is intended to be synchronizedevery hour, that i In operation when the synchronizing arm is actuatedand thrown down, the spring 21 will strike the stud .20 and turn the armE, thereby bringing the indicator 23 into view through the opening 24 inthe dial. The

is once in each revolution of'the minute .hand.-

in 28 will at the same time be throwninto ocking engagement with thelatch 27 8 shown in Fig, 1, whereby the indicator will be held in thisindicating position after the synchronizing lever returns to its normalposition, shown in Fig. 4, out of engagement with the stud 20. ""Nowjust beforethe next synchronizing period arrives, the trip 30 upon thedisk 8 will wipe and assthe lug 29 uponthe lever 26, and'there y turnthe lever sufliciently to release the latch '27 from the pin 28, whenthe indicating arm E will drop and turn by gravity into the positionshown in Fig. 4, carrying the plate out of registration with the openingin the dial, and the Not set plate 25 into registration therewith. Ifthe clock is now synchronized at the regular period, the parts willremain only momentarily in the position shown in for the moment. thesynchronizing lever is turned, the arm E will be again thrust up intovthe position shown in Fig. 1 with the disk 23 visible through the dial,and will be locked in that position by the mechanism described. But ifthe operator should fail to actuate the synchronizin' mechanism, theparts will remain in the non-indicating position shown in Fig. 4,showing that the clock was not synchronized at the last regular periodas it should have been. Thus with the use of this automatic indicatorthe clock will always tell its own story, whether it was synchronized ornot at the last regular period.

\Vhile I have shown my invention adapted for use with a clock which isto be synchronized every hour it will be understood that in its broadestscope the invention is not limited to any partlcular synchronizinginterval.

I claim as my invention:

1. A clock including the usual time indicator, means for periodicallysynchronizing said indicator, and means for indicating at all timeswhether or not the synchronizing means has properly operated.

2. A clock including the usual time indicator, means forperiodicallysynchronizing said indicator, means for indicating at alltimes whether or not the synchronizing means has properly operated, andlatching means for sustaining said indicating means in position todenote the synchronized condition of the clock.

3. A clock including the usual time indicator, means for periodicallysynchronizing said indicator, means for indicatingwhether or not thesynchronizing means has properly operated, means automaticallyinterlocking with said indicating means to hold the latter inposition'to-denote the synchronized condition of the clock, and meansdriven by the clock-work mechanism for releasing said interlocking meansafter a predetermined length of time.

4. In a clock, the combination with synchronizing mechanism, of a visualindicator adapted to be moved into display position V by the clock bysaid mechanism during the synchronizing process, means for automaticallylooking it in such position, and means operable independently of thesynchronizing mechanism for releasing it from said locking means afterthe lapse of a predetermined length of time.

5. In a clock, the combination with synchronizing mechanism, of anindicator adapted to be moved into display position by said mechanism inits synchronizing activity, means for automatically locking theindicator in such position. and clock-workdriven means operableindependently of the synchronizing mechanism for releasing it from saidlocking means just before the arrival ofthe next synchronizing period.

6. In a clock, the combination with the synchronizing mechanism andminute hand sleeve, of a' latch, an indicator adapted to be moved bysaid mechanism intolocking engagement with said latch, and a tripcarried by said sleeve in position to trip the latch, and therebyrelease the indicator. just before the arrival of the next synchronizingperiod.

7. In a clock, the combination with synchronizing mechanism, of anindicator in position to be turned by the synchronizing mechanism intoindicating position, a latch arranged in the path of'the indicator and fautomatically locking therewith to hold the same in indicating position,and a trip under the control of the clockwork mechanism and operable bythe latter independently of the synchronizing mechanism to trip"thelatch just before the arrival of a synchronizing period and therebyrelease the indicator.

8. In a clock, the combination with the synchronizingmechanism andminute hand sleeve, of an indicator in position to be moved into displayposition by the synchronizing mechanism, a. latch in the path of theindicator and automatically locking therewith to hold the same fromreverse I movement, and a disk carried by the minute hand sleeve, saiddisk having a trip in position to engage and trip the latch just beforethe time for the next actuation of the synchronizing mechanism.

9. In a clock, the combination with the synchronizing mechanism thereof,of a pivotally-mounted indicator arranged adjacent thereto, saidindicator being provided with means for denoting the synchronizedcondition of the clock, means by which the indicator is moved by saidsynchronizing mechanism into position for denoting the synchronizedcondition of the clock, locking means for holding the indicator in saidposition, and means controlled by the movement of the clock forreleasing said locking .means just before the time for the nextactuation of the synchronizing mechanism,

whereby the indicator restores itself to a position for temporarilydenoting the nonsynchronized condition of the clock.

10. In a clock, the combination with synchronizing mechanism and minutehand sleeve, of an indicator adapted to be moved into display positionby the synchronizing mechan1sm, means automatically interlocking withsaid indicator to hold it in such position, and means driven from thesleeve for releasing it from said interlocking means-after apredetermined length of time.

11. Ina clock, the combination with synchronizing mechanism therefor, ofa self restoring indicator arranged adjacent thereto and adapted to bemoved thereby into posit-ion for denoting the synchronized condition ofthe clock, interlocking means for holding the indicator insuch position,and means controlled by the movement of the clock and independent of thesynchronizing mechanism for releasing said locking means after apredetermined length of time,

whereby the indicator restores itself to a position denoting thenon-synchronized condition of the clock.

12. Ina clock, the combination with synchronizing mechanism, of aself-restoring indicator standing normally in position to denote thenon-synchronized condition of the clock but adapted to be moved by saidsynchronizing mechanism into position for denoting thesynchronizedcondition of the clock, means for holding the indicator insaid last named position, and means controlled by the movement of theclock and independent of the synchronizing mechanism for releasing saidholding means just before the next succeeding actuation of thesynchronizing mechanism, whereby the indicator restores itself to itsnormal position denoting the non-synchronized condition of the clock. 7

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST A. HUMMEL.

Witnesses ARTHUR P. Lo'rmeor, H. SWANSON.

